The Great Zimbabwe / Similar games

18 games like The Great Zimbabwe

The best games like The Great Zimbabwe are Roads & Boats, Food Chain Magnate and Brass Birmingham — the closest of 18 ranked alternatives, scored by shared mechanics and category. Roads & Boats shares civilization, economic, industry / manufacturing with The Great Zimbabwe.

Every alternative below links to its own The Great Zimbabwe-style fact page, drawn from MeeplePick’s civilization / economic shelf.

Ranked by shared category (3 pts) and mechanics (2 pts), bonus within 0.7 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 3.7 weight, then BoardGameGeek’s Bayesian rating — one entry per series, 18 shown.

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1. 1. Roads & Boats (1999)
   1–4 players · 240 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Civilization, Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · ~120 min longer · +0.5 heavier
   View Roads & Boats on Amazon →
2. 2. Food Chain Magnate (2015)
   2–5 players · 120–240 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Card Drafting, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 3 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~60 min longer · +0.5 heavier
   View Food Chain Magnate on Amazon →
3. 3. Brass Birmingham (2018)
   2–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 8.7 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Network and Route Building · 1 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~30 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
   View Brass Birmingham on Amazon →
4. 4. Steam (2009)
   3–5 players · 90 min · ★ 7.6 · Medium
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 3 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (50%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 3–5 players · ~30 min shorter · 0.2 lighter
5. 5. Age of Industry (2010)
   2–5 players · 120 min · ★ 7.4 · Medium
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Card Drafting, Network and Route Building · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · about the same length · 0.3 lighter
6. 6. Power Grid (Recharged Version) (2004)
   2–6 players · 120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · about the same length · 0.4 lighter
7. 7. &Cetera (2003)
   1–6 players · 240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Civilization, Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · plays solo · scales to 6 · ~120 min longer · +0.4 heavier
8. 8. Through the Ages A Story of Civilization (2006)
   2–4 players · 120 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Civilization, Economic, Auction/Bidding, Card Drafting · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–4 players · about the same length · +0.5 heavier
9. 9. Keyflower (2012)
   2–6 players · 90–120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium
   Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Modular Board · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
   vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · ~15 min shorter · 0.4 lighter
10. 10. Age of Steam Deluxe Edition (2002)
    1–6 players · 120 min · ★ 7.8 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · plays solo · scales to 6 · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
11. 11. 1889 History of Shikoku Railways (2004)
    2–6 players · 210 min · ★ 8.0 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 3 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 6 · ~90 min longer · +0.2 heavier
12. 12. Ora et Labora (2011)
    1–4 players · 60–180 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Modular Board, Network and Route Building · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–4 players · plays solo · about the same length · +0.2 heavier
13. 13. 1830 The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons (1986)
    2–7 players · 180–360 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · scales to 7 · ~150 min longer · +0.5 heavier
14. 14. Indonesia (2005)
    2–5 players · 180–240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, Auction/Bidding · 1 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~90 min longer · +0.3 heavier
15. 15. Antiquity (2004)
    2–4 players · 120–180 min · ★ 7.9 · Heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Civilization, Economic, Modular Board, Tile Placement · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~30 min longer · +0.6 heavier
16. 16. Pipeline (2019)
    2–4 players · 60–120 min · ★ 7.7 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 2 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (33%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~30 min shorter · +0.2 heavier
17. 17. Terra Mystica (2012)
    2–5 players · 60–150 min · ★ 8.1 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Civilization, Economic, Network and Route Building · 1 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (17%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–5 players · ~15 min shorter · +0.3 heavier
18. 18. 1860 Railways on the Isle of Wight (2004)
    2–4 players · 240 min · ★ 7.9 · Medium-heavy
    Shares with The Great Zimbabwe: Economic, Transportation, Auction/Bidding, Network and Route Building, Tile Placement · 3 of The Great Zimbabwe’s 6 mechanics (50%)
    vs The Great Zimbabwe: overlaps at 2–4 players · ~120 min longer · +0.4 heavier

Looking for the original? See the full The Great Zimbabwe fact page — players, play time, age and complexity.